Learnt yesterday in Belfast that they have a coastal rescue team comprised entirely of volunteers responding to emergency distress calls. That's a tough job, running out to sea in the middle of the freezing night if it happens so, hauling people or vessels to safety. Then during church service today, noticed an interpreter standing in front of the congregation using sign language to translate the whole sermon for some hearing-impaired attendees. Fair-trade products also dot the landscape as choices open up for the everyday consumer to choose products that give a fair return to third-world producers.We've also been real blessed experiencing excellent hospitality during our stay with the Dormans here in Belfast. And you somehow pick up snippets of local civic consciousness from everyday conversations. Like Uncle Alan casually mentioning about "too much carbon emissions" when someone else was rattling about flying around in airplanes. And how it seems instinctive to bring out a plastic bag and pick up your dog's poo when we walk around with Dusty the lovely madcap dog. Certainly helps that there're countless bins in the parks designated for dog poo too.
Recently in Vilnius, Lithuania, came across some sturdy recycling bins designed to prevent pilferage. I've learnt it's a problem plaguing Singapore as the 'recycling aunties' tend to break the locks and dig out aluminum cans/paper from the badly-secured recycling bins put up by NEA and SembCorp, even as it's not feasible prosecuting them since it's about their economic survival.It's thus with both admiration and humility that I realise how much more Singapore can improve in terms of community engagement, social policies, and even simple graciousness to our neighbours, as we clamour to be the top dog only in the usual measures of worldly success. It'll be lovely to imagine the day when foreigners visit our country and "world-conscious citizens" is the first impression they have of Singaporeans.
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I'll stick my head out and say the described social consciousness will never happen in Singapore, at least not in my lifetime. Reasons why:
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b. Education doesn't seem to do the trick. My mom works at the NTUC 'Finest' at Thomson Plaza, where all the terrace domiciled and by implication higher income folks go. The 'Bag Free' day is still an invitation for a torrent of abuse towards the hapless staff. And over a derisory 30c a bag. Notable exceptions, Caucasians. Which brings me to the next point.
c. In a nutshell, Asians are driven by self-interest and defer to collective responsibility. Westerners are driven by collective interest and assume self-responsibility. Any westerner not doing his bit will receive social sanction from individuals (responsibility assumed by self against a collective interest). The same sanction either isn't enacted here(deferred responsibility) or ignored against a stronger self-interest.
And Gahmen can only take us so far without risking losing an election. All the infrastructure is already in place, but somethings you just can't force.